as in patient
showing kindness and forgiveness instead of harshness or cruelty especially to someone under one's authority or control
When our English teacher caught us cheating, we prayed he would be merciful in deciding our punishment.
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Recent Examples of merciful
The miserable 2024-25 New York Giants season came to a merciful end with a 20-13 loss to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
—
Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2024
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Eventually, the company will miss an earnings target or announce an earnings warning, and, as recent history has shown, the market will not be merciful in its reaction.
—Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Charlotte Carroll, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2024
And the Bills routed the Jets, 40-14, to inch New York one game closer to a merciful end for a miserable season.
—Zak Keefer, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Eventually, the company will miss an earnings target or announce an earnings warning, and, as recent history has shown, the market will not be merciful in its reaction.
—Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for merciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merciful
Adjective
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Cambridge is the perfect place to test out this technology because the Cambridge Biomedical Campus is a hub for world-class biomedical research, patient care and education.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Three doctors who research or treat liver disease said that complications, such as infections or blood clots, are somewhat expected after a transplant, but patient outcomes are generally positive.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Secret Societies and the Fight for Black Freedom Dating to the pre-Revolutionary era, mutual aid and benevolent societies supported Black Americans and the fight for civil rights and justice.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Feb. 2025
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Steves, with his impeccable recommendations, sensible budgeting options, and gently corny prose style, has served as the benevolent fairy godfather on more than one trip for me.—
Constance Grady,
Vox,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Similarly, Thomas Insel, the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, has emphasized the need for a system that prioritizes both effective treatment and compassionate care.—
Alan M. Langlieb,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2025
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During Trump's first term, Johnson successfully advocated for dozens of commutations, pardons, and compassionate releases.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Some also noted the irony of an act that is perceived to be sympathetic to neo-Nazism to be playing a hall honoring U.S. Veterans.—
Jim Harrington,
The Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2025
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After Roya appeals to a sympathetic American journalist to write about their plight, the story becomes an international media sensation.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But instead of being gracious, Trump booted Zelenskyy out of the White House, leaving the hero’s lunch on a tray in the hall, torpedoing his existential fight to save his battered country and Ukrainian lives.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Here’s a gracious one-bedroom in North Park Slope, close to the Park and Grand Army Plaza, with an elegant layout: a big foyer, with a large living room on one side, the bedroom on the other, and a kitchen in the middle.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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When the Mickeys refuse to attack, and instead opt to communicate with the native creatures, their efforts to broker peace spark a rebellion amongst the humans, leading to Marshall’s death, the demolition of the printer, and a kinder, more cooperative future for the faraway community.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
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There’s an energy throughout that feels like the spirit of Dolly Parton herself: Warm, kind, hopeful, determined.—
Matthew J. Palm,
Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The cast includes Stephen Merchant as the voice of the mouse, Kristen Wiig as a scenery-chewing evil aunt, and Jim Broadbent as a kindly but clueless king.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 Dec. 2024
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In his fourth feature, director Hsiao Ya-Chuan follows the unsentimental education of a motherless 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin), raised in poverty by his kindly father, Liao Tai-lai (Liu Kuan-Ting), a waiter at a busy banqueting hall.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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These exercises can help mitigate the effects Going for a walk is one of the gentlest and healthiest forms of exercise, Gjergja said.—
Melanie Radzicki McManus,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
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The group was equally adept with dancefloor fodder and gentle ballads.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Merciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merciful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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